29 Jun
Green Living, Environmental, Energy Efficient, and Durable Home; Info/Education for planning to build one?
If you watch the "Green Planet" channel, and have seen the show "World's Greenest Homes", well then you might get the idea.
I want to build an almost completely energy-efficient house, that is good, maybe even great, for the environment. Solar panels, wind turbines, and whatever else there could be that'd help. I don't mind using recycled material for construction and furniture, and I definitely don't mind if I have to have sturdy steel beams and etc. As long as it's a very durable(in fact, I was hoping for: Durable enough to withstand natural and/or man made disasters), I don't really mind style, but usually it seems the architecture of such houses ends up looking amazing anyway. If anyone knows of materials and furniture that can "really" last, that'd be nice.
I was hoping someone out there had some good ideas on how to learn all about this kind of stuff. Websites, books, E-books, guides. Prices to use on whatever you may know of don't really matter since this is for my possible future.
I don't need it to be too specific in all these areas, in fact, just respond to the title of this question if that's okay!
Oh yeah brandon h, lol. I'll have to update my picture, my hair "is" cut.
Posted by brandon h on 29.06.09 at 10:37 pm
if your worried about the earth then cut your hair for the sake of humanity
Posted by theosharatos on 29.06.09 at 10:37 pm
What is he talking about, my hair is over 4 feet long, it's my crown . . .
I think this is a great question and couldn't have asked it better myself. Over the last couple of years, since I became aware and started making changes, I've just been doing a lot of reading and research. We want turbines and everything too. I think just planning and researching for as long as you have to is the key. There are so many options to choose from.
I teach people how to convert their entire house to better, safer products. I sleep so much better at night knowing I'm reduing the risk of our cancer, everyone in the home.
I'm glad to see someone else is concerned about green living too.
Posted by AnaB on 29.06.09 at 10:37 pm
I am an interior designer and I have a blog (about architecture and green design) where you can find some helpful relevant info (I recommend the Passive House article)
http://anvdesign.blogspot.com
http://anvdesign.blogspot.com/2009/01/passive-houses-no-heating-bills.html
Posted by ishootbirds2 on 29.06.09 at 10:37 pm
most of the greenest homes are of modernist architecture, it allows the use of new non-traditional materials with innovative design that is not compatible with traditional homes to be used.
I suggest you look into modernist architecture for a start on what you'd like. Most modernist homes are actually 1950's modernist, what people in 1950 think homes would be like in the 1970s or 1980s. Many new movies use modernist/urban design type structures in home scenes, there is a lot of glass, metal, concrete and open areas with stylish simple furnishings.
You can start with the web (fablist) or a home magazines like metropolis or dwell.
Solar power and new renewable energy requires a different kind of study, you need to understand electricity and mechanical objects first, sure you can install it and just read the manual, but for total understanding most if it can be learned from the local community college or own experiments with wind and solar tech, as well as research on alternatives such as geothermal and water (hydro).
If I was to build myself a house that's really green and everything you'd like, I would get an idea of what my house would be made of and then contact about 5-10 different design firms to get a house layout, some 3d models, and perhaps a plan for contractors to use. then choosing a suitable remote slab of land that's really pretty and somewhat temperate (not a tundra but not a desert either). Study the land and geology of the land to find any potential issues (earthquakes, floods, volcano)as well as place for a well and geothermal or hydropower. Also the viability of just using wind and solar power.
A house that is independent generally is a ways from society, secluded and remote. so if society went down in a natural or man made disaster, you won't go down with it.